Collapsible spring-loaded pole-supported cabinet

ABSTRACT

A home storage cabinet suitable for use as a &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;bar&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; employs a set of collapsible wall and door members which can be broken down for storage and moving and can be assembled to provide storage space and held clamped in the assembled position between springloaded pole sections making up an extensible pole that extends between ceiling and floor.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Ammon L. Wade 801 Kenly Road, Goldsboro, N.C. 27530 [21] Appl. No. 803,689 [22] Filed Mar. 3,1969 [45] Patented Sept. 28, 1971 [54] COLLAPSIBLE SPRING-LOADED POLE- SUPPORTED CABINET 2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figs.

I52] US. Cl 312/345, 108/151 [51 1nt. Cl A47b 88/00 [50] Field of Search 108/100-101, 150-160; 21 1/1 15, 128; 312/104, 197, 238,252,254, 345

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 264,747 9/1882 Potts 312/197 Little 312/197 X Johnson 108/159 X Landken 312/238 Stanger 312/238 X McCowan 108/101 Egger 211/105 Bethune et al 108/101 UX Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch At!0rneyB. B. Olive ABSTRACT: A home storage cabinet suitable for use as a bar" employs a set of collapsible wall and door members which can be broken down for storage and moving and can be assembled to provide storage space and held clamped in the assembled position between spring-loaded pole sections making up an extensible pole that extends between ceiling and floor.

PATENTEDSEP28IB7I 3 50 991 INVENTOR.

Am mon L. Wade ATTORNEY COLLAPSIBLE SPRING-LOADED POLE-SUPPORTED CABINET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention This invention relates broadly to extensible pole-supported structures, in the nature of racks, cabinets and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various types of racks, cabinets, and the like have been devised which use an extensible spring tensioned pole for support. US. Pat. No. 2,941,669 illustrates a Rotary Display Stand" which uses a spring-tensioned pole support. US. Pat. No. 2,933,361 discloses a Storage Device using a support pole, and this storage device is rotatable as is the previously mentioned stand. Us. Design Pat. No. D- 127,592 entitled Design For A Combined Clothing Support And Garment Hanger" makes use of a pole for support of a shelf and hanger for clothing. Note that the pole goes through the shelf structure. Other uses of extensible poles for support are found in book racks, phonograph record racks and television pole supports. It is furthermore apparent that various collapsible cabinets have been divulged in the prior art. Also, noncollapsible cabinets have been supported between pairs of poles arranged on the sides of the cabinets. None of the prior art, however, provides a collapsible cabinet that is held assembled and supported between sections of a multiseetion, single, springloaded extensible pole and in such a manner that the pole does not go through or into the cabinet interior so as to break up the storage space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A collapsible pole-supported cabinet structure according to the invention mounts a single but preferably a pair of collapsible storage cabinets which can be assembled and dismantled without the use of auxiliary tools. This summary explains the invention as applied to a pair of cabinets. Each cabinet has fixedly mounted centrally and externally of its respective top and bottom plates a sleeve for slidably receiving a section of the support pole. The support pole according to the invention is made in longitudinally aligned sections which can be slid into place within the sleeves. The support pole comprises a lower floor-engaging section, a central section slidably mounted between the cabinets and an upper ceiling engaging section one, section of which section includes the spring tension means which serves both to hold the bar unit together and in place.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a home storage cabinet suitable for home bar-type storage and which can be assembled and dismantled without the use of tools and which does not require securing means, e.g., screws or the like in the assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a home storage cabinet suitable for use as a bar which is held assembled and supported between sections of a multisection, single pole and in such a manner that the pole does not go through or extend into the cabinet interior.

A particular object is to provide persons and families who are required to move periodically, e.g., military families, field engineers etc. a type of storage cabinet which can be quickly broken down for shipment and quickly assembled for use.

Other objects will appear from the drawings and description to follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a pair of pole-supported collapsible cabinet units according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation view of the lower cabinet showing the doors open and illustrating the storage of beverage bottles therein.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the base portion of the smaller cabinet.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged side view of the end portion of a spacer post used in the invention.

FIG. 8 is an end view of the spacer post.

FIG. 9 is a side view of one ofseveral sidewall members employed in the invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of one of the spacer posts.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a preassembled spacer post and door unit employed in the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 illustrates a pair of cabinets according to the invention positioned for use. A collapsible home storage cabinet 10 suitable for use as a bar according to the invention comprises a sectioned support pole 11, made up of section Ila, 11b, and 110, upper storage cabinet 15 and lower storage cabinet 40.

The description will be directed to the upper and smaller storage cabinet 15 since storage cabinet 40 is identical in construction except that it is on a larger scale. Storage cabinet 15 has a pair of octagonal-shaped plates l6, 17 which provide top and bottom walls. Bottom wall 16 has a sleeve 20 mounted centrally and externally thereof by means of recessed screws 21. A comparable sleeve 22 mounts on top plate 17. Bottom wall 16 has on its inner surface a plurality of holes 23 which are suitably shaped and spaced thereon for receiving corresponding shaped ends of spacer posts 24. Top wall 17 also has a similar plurality of holes therein for receiving the opposite ends of the spacer posts but is not described since it is identical in construction to that of bottom wall 16. The ends of spacer posts 24 are identified as extensions 25a, 25b and one of which is shown enlarged in FIGS. 7 and 8; Extensions 25a, 25b of each post mate with corresponding holes 23 in walls l6, l7, and hold spacer posts 24 upright. Once spacer posts 24 are positioned in bottom wall 16, sidewalls 26 are slid in place so that they reside within respective grooves 27, 28 which are in spacer posts 24. Hinges 29, 30, 31 and 32 are made integral with certain ones of spacer posts 24 (see FIG. I I) and receive a pair of panels 33, 34 which serve as doors for cabinet 15. Door stops 35, 36 are made integral respectively with wall I6, 17. Knobs 33a, 34a are provided for opening of doors 33, 34. After spacer posts 24, sidewalls 26 and doors 33, 34 are put in place and assembled on bottom wall 16. Top wall 17 is put in place so that the respective extensions mate with corresponding holes 23 on the inner surface of top wall I7. Upper and smaller cabinet 15 is now assembled. Lower and larger cabinet 40 is assembled in the same way and is identical in construction except that it is on a larger scale. Sleeve 41 is secured to the bottom wall of cabinet 40 and sleeve 42 is secured to the top wall of cabinet 40.

Once cabinets I5 and 40 are assembled, the pole sections are now ready to be placed in position and the cabinet unit placed upright. First, lower floor engaging section 11a is held upright while lower cabinet 40 is positioned thereon so that section 11a resides within sleeve 41. Second, intermediate pole section 11b is placed in sleeve 42 of lower cabinet 40. Third, upper cabinet 15 is positioned on intermediate section 1 lb so that section 11b resides within sleeve 20 of bottom wall 16. Fourth, upper ceiling engaging pole section 11c, containing the tension spring, not shown, is placed in sleeve 22 of top wall 17 and the tension spring compressed until cabinet unit 10 is positioned upright in the desired location at which time the tension of the spring will hold the unit vertical and the cabinets parts clamped together.

The invention thus provides a home storage cabinet unit 10 which is suitable for use as a bar and which can be assembled without screws or other fastening means and held together by sections of the spring-loaded, extensible pole I]. The tension spring is of course designed to be of sufficient strength so that it will continue to hold the cabinet unit 10 in a vertical position even after beverages or the like are placed in cabinets 15 and 40. As previously mentioned, the prior art cabinets or racks have been noncollapsible and have incorporated poles which pass through and therefore interrupt and break up the storage space. It can now be seen that with the present invention, a home storage cabinet unit is supported by a multisection, single pole in a manner which does not require that any portion of the pole extend into the storage space. Furthermore, the cabinets are collapsible and can be very quickly assembled and dismantled and can be reduced to a small compact package for storage and shipment. Thus, the family who lives in a house, apartment or mobile home and who has to move often obtains many advantages from the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A home storage cabinet device adapted to be supported by a multisectioned extensible pole comprising:

a. a predetermined number of cabinets, each cabinet providing a storage space and including a top wall, an opposed bottom wall, a sidewall comprising a plural number of wall sections adapted to be assembled in an unsecured relation by being held clamped between said top and bottom walls, a plurality of slotted removable unsecured mating spacer posts adapted to assemble said wall sections by positioning said wall sections within respective slots of said mating spacer posts, and movable doors supported from said walls;

b. An extensible pole unit including a plurality of pole sections at least one of which contains spring-loading means; and c. Securing means mounted centrally and on the outer surfaces of each said respective top wall and bottom wall, one of said pole sections being adapted to be held vertically by said securing means on said top wall externally of said storage space and another said pole section being adapted to be held vertically by said securing means on said bottom wall externally of said storage space such that said pole sections are brought into longitudinal vertical alignment and under the tension of said spring loading means clamp said wall sections and spacer posts between said top and bottom walls and provide support for said cabinet between said pole sections while leaving said storage space free of intrusion by said pole sections. 2. A home storage cabinet as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plural number of storage cabinets held in an upright position by a plural number of extensibie pole sections making a single longitudinally aligned pole and providing uninterrupted storage spaces therein wherein each of said top, bottom and sidewalls and doors are assembled in an unsecured arrangement and are adapted to be held assembled and supported under the tension of said spring loading means. 

1. A home storage cabinet device adapted to be supported by a multisectioned extensible pole comprising: a. a predetermined number of cabinets, each cabinet providing a storage space and including a top wall, an opposed bottom wall, a sidewall comprising a plural number of wall sections adapted to be assembled in an unsecured relation by being held clamped between said top and bottom walls, a plurality of slotted removable unsecured mating spacer posts adapted to assemble said wall sections by positioning said wall sections within respective slots of said mating spacer posts, and movable doors supported from said walls; b. an extensible pole unit including a plurality of pole sections at least one of which contains spring-loading means; and c. securing means mounted centrally and on the outer surfaces of each said respective top wall and bottom wall, one of said pole sections being adapted to be held vertically by said securing means on said top wall externally of said storage space and another said pole section being adapted to be held vertically by said securing means on said bottom wall externally of said storage space such that said pole sections are brought into longitudinal vertical alignment and under the tension of said spring loading means clamp said wall sections and spacer posts between said top and bottom walls and provide support for said cabinet between said pole sections while leaving said storage space free of intrusion by said pole sections.
 2. A home storage cabinet as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plural number of storage cabinets held in an upright position by a plural number of extensible pole sections making a single longitudinally aligned pole and providing uninterrupted storage spaces therein wherein each of said top, bottom and sidewalls and doors are assembled in an unsecured arrangement and are adapted to be held assembled and supported under the tension of said spring loading means. 